The Boeing Company

Alan Wright

Arnold J Lauder

David Boonstra

Antonio M Ferreira

Garth Vincent Kummen

Demsey Drew Kirkwood

Presently disclosed systems and methods provide for a quick-change clamp arm that may be coupled to and removed from a robot end effector via a quick-change feature coupled to the robot end effector. Systems may include a plurality of such quick-change clamp arms that each may be coupled to a given robot end effector such that when one is removed, a different respective quick-change clamp arm may be coupled to the robot end effector. The robot end effector may be configured to perform a task to one side of a workpiece, while the quick-change clamp arm applies a stabilizing normal force to the other side of the workpiece. Due to the interchangeable nature of presently disclosed quick-change clamp arms, systems may reduce the number of robot end effectors required for a given manufacturing process. Related methods of removing and coupling quick-change clamp arms to robot end effectors may be automated.

Quick-change clamp arms for robot end effectors, systems including the same, and related methods

A hinge includes a fixed component defining a vertical axis. The fixed component includes a first support surface with a circular lug path and a first recess formed in the first support surface at an end of the circular lug path. The hinge also includes a pivotable component pivotable about the vertical axis and translationally movable along the vertical axis. The pivotable component includes a first lug extending from the pivotable component in a first direction. The first recess receives and constrains movement of the first lug. The first support surface supports the first lug along the circular lug path and constrains translational movement of the pivotable component in the first direction as the pivotable component pivots about the vertical axis. In the open position, the pivotable component is translationally movable in the first direction and the first lug is receivable into the first recess.

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Winnipeg, Canada

Alan Wright